Hi, first of all, a LOT of 'nice little shops' are unfortunately staffed by people who are there to sell, and not in the least knowledgable about bonsai, though to hear them go on, passing you misinformation they think you want to hear about, is amazing :-). The only thing you'll benefit from at this point might be books. Don't start out in bonsai by buying a 'bonsai', whether from Wal-Mart or a bonsai place. Plus this is the wrong time of year as so many things (outside of tropicals for indoors) will be going dormant so you can't work on them now anyhow til spring. What you do want to do (and don't spend $$$ on tools yet BTW) is find a local bonsai club - the all time best place to learn as you see hands-on what's done, what terms mean, etc. The next thing would be to stock up on books about bonsai and spend the winter reading them. The last would be to go, in the spring, to a local nursery, pick up a couple of 3-5 yr old 'starter' trees, shrubs, etc. that do well in your area, and go to work on them. You may lose them (we all do!) but you'll be able to afford it, and not feel you've killed someone else's masterpiece :-)! Don't bother with seed - waiting 5 yrs for something to bonsai is a drag, though we all do it once we have other things to work on anyway. Don't buy kits. Good luck.

Lucy

Let's make a distinction between "your" little shops and bonsai nurseries. Yes, there are some crappy places to buy crappy plants from. Plants speak for themselves and don't need humans to tell you if you have made a mistake walking through the door. Shops that sell glued on crap or plants that have been contorted like pretzels should be avoided like the plague.

I don't remember the names because its been a few years, but I was fortunate enough to visit a couple bonsai nurseries in the L.A. area. They had some of the most spectacular bonsai I have ever seen in my life and I've been to some quality bonsai nurseries.

If you walk into a place with trees that make you feel like your walking on holy ground, don't be afraid to ask questions. People who import and care for those kind of plants have great integrity and are there to help you.

randy

L.A. is blessed with a huge Japanese population, that still has quite a bit of its culture and arts intact. Id think you could find a good club or nursery there, possibly better than any where in the states, (except Portland, SanFransisco or Seattle) the last few times I have been in LA I have been suprised that unlike the west coast further north, where you see nurseries all over the place, they are a little more spread out.But I dont think that means they arnt there. Perhaps you should look for a local bonsai club and ask some of them where they shop? I think you have alot of opportunity right where you are, just a little hunt to find it.

Rjj - don't you ever get tired of this? A little shop is not a nursery - there's a big difference. The poster is a newbie and therefore the first thing needed I felt was to steer him away from a bad start. Unfortunately there are a lot of opportunistic people in bonsai (as anywhere else) and, if you'll notice BTW, I DID tell him to go to a nursery! Don't you have anything else to do but bash me here?

I'm not sure I was bashing you, just hoping to make it clear how to tell the difference between a little shop of horrors and a "bonsai" nursery.

Yes you did tell him to go to a nursery, which I guess is ok if you know what you are looking for. But why not go to a bonsai nursery where they not only have beautiful bonsai you can drool over, but usually have a nice selection of pre bonsai material. That stuff will have a good start to looking nice much quicker than landscape trees that you butcher from the local HD.

I have a problem with inferring that "all" people that sell bonsai are evil. The world of bonsai wouldn't be what it is today without them.

randy

I never said All, but after you've heard enough horror stories, you get a tad cynical.